Piano



L. LOAR PIANO Sept. 8, 1931.

Filed July lov. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l Sept. 8, 1931. L, LOAR Y 1,821,977

PIANO Filed July 10, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'fi/yg.

Patented Sept. 8, 1.931p

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

LLOYD LOAR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO GULBRANSEN COMPANY, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS PIANO Application filed July 10,

This invention relates to pianos and more particularly to means for producing the soft pedal effect in instruments of this character.

While I have illustrated my invention, by

5 way of example, as applied to a grand piano, it is also well adapted for use with upright pianos and I do not, therefore, limit myself to the one use of my invention herein illustrated.

In grand pianos, as commonly constructed, three strings are provided for each note or unison and the key bed is normally in such position that all of these strings are struck simultaneously by the hammer, thus producing the loud pedal efl'ect. The key bed is mounted for sliding movement and is normally held in position at the players left by a spring or equivalent means. Then the soft Apedal is depressed, the key bed is shifted toward the right such a distance that the ham mers are disposed in such manner, relative to the respective unisons, as to strike but two strings only, thus producing the soft pedal effect. y

This is objectionable as changing the timbre, to a certain extent and, also, due to the fact that this shifting of the keyboard does not produce the desired pronounced difference between the loud pedal effect and the soft pedal eect. In grand pianos the butt of the hammer is supported by the repetition lever ofthe action, and the whip of the action is supported by a capstan screw carried by the key. It has-been attempted, in grand pianos, to produce the soft pedal effect by raising the hammers toward the strings by means of a hammer rail and associated parts. l/Vhen this is done the hammers are separated from the repetition levers of the action with the result that undesirable play of the keys results which frequently interferes with proper playing of the instrument. It has been proposed to overcome this difficulty by providing counter-balancing weights in the keys disposed to cause the action to follow the hammer and to maintain contact therewith at all times. This balancing of the keys is a delicate operation requiring great care and the use of expert help. Even under the best conditions it is extremely diiicult and,

1929. Serial No. 377,189.

is to provide simple and eiiicient means for producing the soft pedal eil'ect in a grand pizno without necessity of shifting the key Another object is to provide means of the character stated which will act to raise all of the hammers simultaneously toward the strings a predetermined distance While maintaining the hammers in proper relation to the respective actions. A further object is to provide means whereby the actions are simultaneously actuated for raising the hammers into soft pedal position thus maintaining the proper relation between the hammers and the associated actions, without interfering with proper operation of the keys in the playing of the instrument. Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary transverse sectional view through the key bed and associated parts of a grand piano illustrating my invention as applied;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the key-bedsupportingbase, and associated parts, illustrating my invention as applied;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view through the key-bed-supporting-base, taken adjacent the pedestal, showing my invention as applied;

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially on line 4 4 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section taken substantially on line 5 5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a section taken substantially on line 6-6 of Figure 5.

I have illustrated my invention as applied in a grand piano comprising a key bed l slidably mounted on a supporting base 2 and having keys 3 mounted thereon in a known manner. Brackets 4L are suitably mounted on the key bed and support a butt rail 5 and a whip rail 6. Each key 3 has associated therewith an action comprising a whip 7 which rests upon a capstan screw 8 carried by the key. The action also comprises a repetition lever 9 upon the upper forward i'ace of which rests a felt covered member 10 secured to butt 11 of hammer 12. This butt 11 is suitably connected to butt flange 13 carried by butt rail 5. The action and associated parts are of known type and need not be 'liurthcr illustrated nor described in detail.

The inner end olE each key 3 is reduced in vertical thickness at 3a. In accordance with my invention, l dispose a wooden bar 14 of substantially rectangular cross-section beneath the reduced inner end portions 3a of the keys 3. This bar is hingedly secured, at its rearward or inner edge, to bed-supporting base 2 by means ot hinge straps 15 and butts 16, which are suitably secured to bar 14, these butts straddling tire straps and being pivoted to the inner or rearward ends thereof by pintles 17. The straps 15 preferably project forwardly beyond bar 14 and are secured to base 2 by screws 18. A felt strip 19 is secured on the upper face et bar 14 and the inner end 1portions ol the keys rest upon this bar when it is inits normal or lowered position, as in Figure 1.

Blocks 29 are secured to the liront edge of bar 14 in, a suitable manner, as by means of screws 21. Each of these blocks is provided with a vertical bore which receives a 'telt bushing 22 disposed about a pin 23 which eX- tends inte the bore, this pin being secured in the upper end oif a push rod 24. A felt washer 25 is disposed about p in and between the upper end of' rod 24 and the lower face of block 20. This rod 24 extends through an opening 26 in base 2,., this opening being of such diameter as to provide ample clearance about the rod. At its lower end rod24 is provided with a pin 2T, similar to pin 23, which extends through an opening in the flattened Yforward end portion of arm 23 of a U-shaped lever 29 pivotally mounted, by means of pintles 30, in brackets 31 suitably secured to, and depending 'trom base 2. An operating arm 32 is secured to lever 29 and has its forward end portion flattened at 33 and disposed to contact the upper end of a turn buckle which screws upon the upper end of a pedal rod 35. This rod operates through a guide member 36 secured to supports 37 which depend :trom a rail 3S suitably securcd to the under Jface of the tube. These supports 37 carry at their lower ends, a pedestal 39 in which is rackably mounted a sott pedal lever 40, commonly termed the soft pedal. An expansion coil spring 41 (Figure 3) is anchored at its upper end to the under face ot .base 2 and has its lower end -secured about arm 32, a felt bushing 42 being disposed between this arm and the spring to prevent objectionable metallic rattle.

I also preferably provide a telt disk 43 between the upper end of the turn buckle 34 and the under face of the flattened end 33 of arm 32. This arm is provided, between lever 29 and bushing 42, with an enlargement 44 which is suitably bored and threaded for reception O a stop member in the form of a screw 45 normally held in adjustment by a jam nut 46. A similar jam nut 47 is provided for holding the turn buckle 34 in adjustment on rod 35. Spring 41 acts to normally hold arm 32 depressed, and upward movement of this arm is limited by the screw 45.

Pedestal 39 also carries a sustaining pedal and a shift pedal. The sustaining pedal is operatively connected to the longer arm 48 of a substantially U-shaped lever 49, in the saine manner as pedal 40 is connected to arm of lever 29. The lever 49 is rockably mounted, by pintles 50, in brackets 51 scoured to the under-face ot base 2 and depending therefrom. The other arm 53 of lever 49 is operatively connected in a known manner, as by means of a rod similar to rod 24, to damper rail which carries a capstan screw 55 associated with a damper lever 5G in a known manner. A damper block 57 is connected to this lever and is suitably secured to the lower end of a damper wire 5S operating through a guide 59 and having its upper end attached t0 a damper block (39 provided with an under telt 91 and a damper felt 62 disposed for contact with the strings G3. lVhen the sustaining pedal is depressed the damper rail 54 is raised so as to elevate the damper block 60 and hold the 'felt G2 out of contact with the strings G3.

lith the damper rail in its normal or lowered position, when a key is struck, the inner end portion 3ay thereof acts on the damper lever 56 to raise the damper block into inoperative position, this block returning to its lowered or operative position upon release of the key. The construction and operation of the sustaining pedal and damper rail and associated parts is well understood in the art and need not be further described nor illustrated here.

A. shilt pedal is also mounted in the pedestal and is operatively connected to a shift lever (34 in the same manner as pedal 40 connected to arm 32 ot lever 29. Lever 64 is an angle lever and is pivoted at between a pair of brackets 6G suitably secured to the under face of the supporting base 2 for the key bed. This lever is operatively connected to the keybed and acts to shift the same, when the shift pedal is depressed into proper position, to produce a harpsichord elliect. This lever and the parts associated therewith constitute the subject mattei' of my copending application for piano, filed July 10, 1929, Serial No. 377,- 199. The lever and associated parts need not be illustrated nor described herein in detail, it being sullicient to note that the lever 64 is operated by the shift pedal and acts to shift the key bed from its normal position.

With the bar 14 in its normal or lowered position, the hammers 12 are in lowered position as shown in Figure 1. Under such conditions, the instrument is played in the Ordinary manner and the loud pedal or tone eifect is produced. Y

To produce the soft pedal eifect, soft pedal 40 is depressed thus raising bar 14, this bar being beveled at its rearward under portion, at 14a, to permit of this movement. Vhen bar 14 is raised, it is moved into the dotted line position of Figure 1 and acts to raise the inner ends of the keys 3 by contact with the inner end portions 8a thereof. All of the keys are thus raised simultaneously and to the same extent, the under faces of the extensions Sa thereof being accurately leveled olf for this purpose. Raising of the key 3 serves to raise whip 7 of the action, by means of capstan screw 8. This has the same effect as if the outer ends of all of the keys 3 were simultaneously depressed and acts to raise the hammers 12 into substantially the position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 1. The hammers are thus disposed much nearer the strings 63 than when in their full lowered position so that, when a key is depressed in playing the instrument, the distance through which the corresponding hammer moves 1s considerably less, approximately one half, than when the bar 14 is lowered, so that the blow struck by the hammer is correspondingly less thus producing the soft pedal eli'ect. By suitably adjusting the stop 45, the extent to which bar 14 is raised upon depression of pedal 40 can be varied within limits so as to vary the elect obtained by depression of the soft pedal.

This is desirable as permitting an adjustment to suit the particular instrument, and, also, as permitting the soft pedal effect to be adjusted to suit the taste of the individual performer. It is to be particularly noted that by raising the inner ends of the keys and thus raising the hammers through the associated actions, proper contact between the members 10 and repetition levers 9 is maintained at all times and any objectionable play of the keys or action is eliminated. The slight lowering of the outer ends of the keys in the raising of the hammers to soft pedal position is not objectionable, since all of the keys are lowered to the same extent and proper playingof the instrument is not interfered with while proper contact of all parts of the respective actions is assured at all times.

My invention is particularly adapted for use with grand pianos, but it may be applied with advantage to upright pianos, as above pointed out. It is to be understood, therefore, that my invention is not limited to grand pianos but may be used with any instrument to which it can be applied with advantage.

What I claim is:

1. In combination in a piano comprising a plurality of strings, a key bed supporting base, and a key bed mounted upon said base and associated keys and actions mounted upon the bed, a hingedly mounted bar disposed beneath the inner ends of the keys and movable about its hinge axis for raising and lowering the keys, a pedal, and operating connections between the pedal and the bar, including a lever connected with said key bed supporting base, and adjustable stop means associated with said lever and adapted upon depression of said pedal to contact said key bed supporting base to limit the extent to which said bar may be raised.

2. In combination in a piano comprising a plurality of strings, a key bed supporting base, and a key bed mounted upon said base and associated keys and actions mount-ed upon the bed, means for optionally raising the inner ends of the keys simultaneously for moving the hammers of the actions from normal position into a second position closer to the strings, said means including a lever connected with said key bed supporting base, an arm connected with said lever, and adjustable stop means carried by said arm and adapted upon actuation of said arm' to contact said key bed supporting base for limiting the extent to which said hammers may be raised.

3. In combination in a piano comprising a plurality of strings, a key bed supporting base, and a key bed mounted upon said base and associated keys and actions mounted upon the bed, means for raising the inner ends of the keys simultaneously and to a predetermined extent for moving the hammers of the actions from normal position into a second position closer to the strings, comprising a bar hingedly mounted at its rearward portion upon the base and having its forward portion extending beneath the inner end portions of the keys, a block secured to the forward portion of the bar and having a vertical bore therein, a lever journaled on said key bed supporting base, a pin extending upwardly into the bore in said block, a push rod connecting said pin with said lever, a pedal, and means connecting said lever with said pedal.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 13th day of J une 1929.

LLOYD LOAR. 

